
7]h@m@s S@IM'm?p 



^i ^^^:^]^]^A^[&i^&j^^]^i^i^i^^i 



Beyond the Rim 



Thomas Dolliver Church 



Published By 

The Cora L. Williams Institute for Creative Education 

Thousand Oak<;, 'Jierkeley, California 
1 92 1 






^ 



I 

w 
w 



^ 
^ 
^ 



^^^.^'% 



Copyrighted 1921 
by Thomas T). Church 



■©aA630989 



DEC 27 132 




OW SURPRISING the strength 
of young, growing things — 
the tender blades of grass 
piercing the hardened 
earth-crust, the sprouting 
tree cleaving the great rock, the growing 
mind breaking through the layer of con- 
ventional thought into the sunshine of 
new beauty and truth! "^ These poems 
written by a real boy are, I believe, 
a promise of what every youth 
could do, once our education 
becomes truly creative. 

Cora L. Williams. 



Beyond the Rim 



♦ 



Voice from the silent mazes, 

Beyond the rim,, 
Struggling for shape, dimensioi 

In the dim 
Unconsciousness. Be free! 
We know the fearsome faces, 
The awe — the glory! 
In the unknown places 
We grasp, blindly , 
What force is this? — 
Or that? 

It does not matter. 
We are bound in one. 
Master! 



[7] 



The Wanderlust 

Trailing feet in the summer dust, 
The trees, the trail, the wanderlust — 
I follow away — I must, I must — 

Smoky buildings of brick and stone, 
How dusty and old you all have grown, 
I follow the trail — alone, alone — 

I follow the trail to the sunset's glow, 

I sing a song as away I go, 

Life is to live — I know, I know! 



[9] 



The Urge 



In the blueness of the sky 
On and on and on 
Seek I ! 

On wings 

I pass the haunts of man, 

I know the urge, and not the plan! 

In the void I hear a cry 

On and on and on 

Seek I! 



[10] 



Dawn 

The night slept; restless in the mist 
High clouds were kissed 

By waking day. 
A coyote wailed the coming morn, 
Night moaned, and paled — 

And dawn was born. 



[11] 



Beyond the Fears 



There's a song in the great unknowing; 

Walled by shadows and fears, 
With eager feet would my soul be going 

Among the spheres. 

On to the sea is the river flowing 
Shadows soften as evening nears; 

There's a song in the great unknowing 
Beyond the fears. 



[12] 



Inspiration 



The rising sun 

Spins a shining path across the sea 

To my door. . . . 

Can I still follow the path 

In the dark hours 

When the sun is gone? 



[13] 



^ 



Content 



The night invades me. 

Like the tide, it flows 

Into the crevices 

And little worn places, 

Comforts me 

With its coolness — and depth. 

Tomorrow — light will blind 

Me from my dreaming; 

Warmth will sere this passion of content. 

Small wants will bind, 

And torture. 

But tonight I am wise 
With the weight 
Of centuries. 



[14] 



Johnny Cucabod 

Three men set out in search of God: 
A dreamer, a fool, and Cucabod. 

The dreamer, he sought a cell to pray, 
The fool bowed ever to feet of clay. 

These two — they swore that they found God ; 
'T saw no trace" said Cucabod. 

The dreamer, the fool, and Cucabod. 
One told the truth — 'twas he found God. 



[IS] 



Eyes 



Bright as April skies 

Your eyes 

Were blue. 
I loved you for your eyes — 

Not you. 

Soft as August skies 

Your eyes 

Were true. 
But only your eyes were true 

Not you. 



[16] 



A Memory 



That was a wonderful image, 

Your hair 

Blown by the summer air; 

Your face 

And a bit of lace, 

Framed in the window there. 

It is a wanton sunbeam 

That falls 

On the soul's dim walls; 

A light 

That guides my flight 

When memory calls. 



[17] 



Dream Faces 



You scarce had come and stopped, and sighed 

Then gone away so soon, 
As a rift of some forgotten cloud 

Passes across the moon — 

I knew I had known you long before; 

Your face that looked from the crowd 
Was the pleasure-pain of a memory 

That wakes and would speak aloud. 



[18] 



To W , C, Morrow 



I raised some flowers in my garden 

Wonderful and fine; 
But saw others in my neighbor's garden 

More wonderful than mine. 

I sat by my neighbor's fireside, 
And talked of the world and strife ; 

In a few simple words he added 
More than I knew of life. 



[19] 



It is My Dream 



Rocks, sea-lashed at dawn ; white waves that 

beat 
Against the undertow about our feet; 
Spray-wet hair, and salty wind-swept sea — 
It is my dream that you come there with me. 
And we would walk in silence — hand in hand. 
It is my dream — you would not understand. 

A windless day, a shady tree that yields 
A quiet place in one of God's green fields; 
A meadow lark, and one white cloud above, 
The hush of noon — sky, beauty, wonder, love; 
And you'd caress my brow with cooling 

hand — 
It is my dream — you would not understand. 



[20] 



Longing 



I stood 

On a wind-swept hill 
And watched the birds 
Wing their way to the south. 



[21] 



My Masterpiece 

With great care 1 planned 

My masterpiece. 

With terrible accuracy 

I chose my words, my phrases — 

For it was to be masterful, 

It was to be vivid, delicate, 

Subtle, powerful. 

I would question the existence of things, 

I would tear down every belief of man and 

build again. 
I would thunder at the gates of the incredible 
And flood the world with a new light of 

understanding 
And it would be masterful. 
Men would be amazed, 
The world would be amazed, 
God would be amazed. 
And then — after weeks and months 
It was finished. 

I groped in vast untrammeled spaces, 
Found other worlds, other universes; 
Struggled with vague forces. 
Dared infinite gods — 
It was my masterpiece. 
I loved it and wept over it. 

[22] 



But men shook their heads. 

Here was an idler 

With nothing to do but dream, 

And to question the very foundation 

Upon which they 

Builded their existence. 

They did not see my vision — 

They saw me, 

And so they shook their heads. 

I laid it away. 

Then one day 

With nothing else to do 

I let my pen wander, 

Amused. 

It was — I forget — something about sun 

shine. 
And winds, and new-made nests. 
And singing flowers. 
An hour perhaps — and I forgot it. 

But men acclaimed a masterpiece! 
They depicted a subtleness I had not 

dreamed of. 
It was a vision, 
Daring, vivid, powerful. 
It was my vision — 
It was my masterpiece! [ 23 ] 



Sunset and Dawn 



The sun sets like a pageant 

Entering the gates of Heaven. 

I see noble chargers and valiant knights. 

Brazen trumpets, 

And pompous kings, 

Glory — victory — power! 

This is a sunset. 

But I love the dawn. 
I love its coolness — 
Its mystery. 

''What subtle tie is there 
Between one's soul — 
And the break of day?" 



[24] 



The Moth 



A moth is beating itself 

Against my light. 

I wonder — 

Can this longing in me 

Be love? 



[25] 



She Smiled at Me 

Along the dusty way I strode, 
With a heavy frown and a heavy load, 
Until I passed her on the road; 
She gathered clovers 'neath a tree, 
She smiled at me, she smiled at me! 

Two laughing eyes that seemed to say, 
'T'm lonesome too, come on and play," 
Then merrily on she went her way; 
My heart was very light and free. 
She smiled at me, she smiled at me! 

No roguish eyes meant to beguile, 
But just a true and trusting smile, 
Ah! We were pals for just a while! 
She was a lass of two or three. 
She smiled at me: she smiled at me! 



[26] 



To G. Y. H. 



I love your eyes, 
They bring me peace. 

At the subtle curving 

Of your mouth 

My heart leaps. 

A thousand voices surge 

And will not be still. 

At the softness of your hair 
I want to laugh — and weep. 

But in your eyes 
There is only peace. 



[271 



Peace 



I sat among the ferns 
By the singing brook 
And, for a moment 
Forgot there was a world. 



[28] 



Isabelle 



Somewhere in her heart — a spring, 

Flowing bright and clear. 

Eagerly I drink, 

And learn from whence 

Her joy in life, her smile, her cheer. 

Somewhere in her soul — a light, 

Piercing the dark for those 

Who lift their eyes. 

Eagerly I follow 

To peace I dared not dream could lie, 

Except in Paradise. 



[291 



To K, G, B, 



Thoughts of you go passing by 
Like clouds that drift in an April sky, 
Light and fleet and quickly blown 
Into a fanciful, vast unknown. 
Thoughts of you go passing by 
Like clouds in an April sky. 



[30] 



Indexing the Soul 



This, they say, 

Is good — this bad, 

This beauty — that love, 

Indexing the soul; 

This is God — this devil, 

Faith is such — 

Truth such other. 

And I, weary. 
Stand under the stars 
And bathe myself 
In the glory of living. 



[31] 



Vivian 
♦J* 

When you look at me that way 

I forget 

That 1 am I 

And you are you 

And we are we; 

And only understand why birds 

Sing in springtime; 
And seem to know 
Why leaves wither and fall 

From the tree, 
When cold winds blow. 



[32] 



Peggy 



P^ggy let me hold her hand 
Blase and bland 
Was Peggy; 
So 1 felt no reprimand 
Just because of Peggy's hand. 

Peggy let me have a kiss, 
Daring miss 
Was Peggy; 
All the rest in ignorant bliss, 
Never knew of Peggy's kiss. 

Peggy said she loved me, too, 
Very true 
Was Peggy; 
But why should I be feeling blue 
Just because she loves me — too? 



[33] 



Ode to Mother s Sneeze 

Song of the siren, sweet, alluring, 
Shades of the feline, yowling, purring. 
Clang of the bells -on a Sunday morn. 
Trombone, saxophone, xylophone, horn; 
Song of the nightingale, soothing, slow. 
Canary-bird, mocking-bird, woodpecker, 

crow. 
A gentle strain from a minuet, 
A harsh refrain from a band — and yet, 
A softly sighing ocean breeze. 
The leaves arustling through the trees; 
Violin, flute, mandolin, lyre, 
Tornado, hurricane, thunder, fire. 
Mix them together, and if you please — 
A mild imitation of mother's sneeze. 



[34] 



Disillusioned 



I always thought that love would come 

On tiny feet, 
And whisper, though the lips be dumb, 

Things wondrous sweet. 

I thought that love was a little moth 

With dusty wings, 
A bird that flutters in one's heart 

And sings — and sings! 

Foolish mel At last I know 

The bitter truth — 
The happiness, the tears that flow, 

Are only — youth. 



[35] 



Vision 



I was alone. 

So much in solitude 

The dim vale 

Twixt life and death 

Faded, 

As night fades into dawn. 

Dim shadows 

That lurk beyond 

Blazed forth in sudden glory, 

And then were gone. 



[36] 



Loneliness 

I stood and watched 

A merry crowd go laughing by, 

Until the sound was lost 

In the din 

Of the city's street. 



[37] 



The Sign 

From a window it stared at me 

My very soul it taunted. 
Plain and simple and brazenly: 

"Girl Wanted." 

Alas! My life was bleak and bare, 
1 made me a sign, undaunted, 

Over my heart I placed with care: 
"Girl Wanted.'' 



[38] 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




